Stories from Thursday, March 8, 2012

Mountainburg stormed to a 20-5 first period lead and went on to roll to a 63-39 victory over Marked Tree's Lady Indians in the first round of the 2A State Tournament Tuesday afternoon at Cedar Ridge High School. The Lady Dragons jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Marked Tree got its first two points from Poohnu Perry with 4:52 left in the first quarter. Four consecutive treys, two by Madison Backus, gave Mountainburg an 18-3 lead with 2:17 left in the period. The Lady Dragons held a 20-7 advantage after the opening quarter of play. Mountainburg built on its lead in the second quarter and took a 34-13 advantage into the dressing room at intermission. The Lady Indians played on even terms with Mountainburg in the third period, behind the scoring of Poohnu and Jay Perry, but still trailed 51-31 entering the final frame. Mountainburg coasted the rest of the way in advancing to the quarterfinals of the state tournament. "Mountainburg's half court trap gave us a lot of problems today," said Marked Tree Coach Derik Drewett. "They got a couple of favorable bounces on three pointers that helped them stretch their lead out. We just weren't able to hit anything early on. It put us in a hole early and we weren't able to catch up the rest of the way. We are a young team with everyone coming back. Getting to the state tournament gives us something to build on," concluded Drewett. Poohnu Perry led Marked Tree with 18 points while Jay Perry added 11. Caflora Hillis netted six, Lexi Perry scored three while Dez Reel added one point. The Lady Indians hit seven of 11 free throws and made three treys while committing 22 turnovers. Tara Webb and Auburn Peters led Mountainburg with 16 points apiece. Backus scored 12 while Destiny Webb added 11. The Lady Dragons hit nine of 12 free throws and finished with four three pointers, all in the opening period.

Junction City outscored Marked Tree 23-16 in the final quarter to pull away for a 66-57 victory, ending the Indians' season in the quarterfinals of the 2A State Tournament Thursday night at Cedar Ridge High School in Newark. The two teams battled back and forth throughout the night, with the Indians holding a 15-12 edge after the first period behind the strong inside play of junior Allen Buchanan and senior Gunner Pitts. Marked Tree and Junction City traded three pointers to begin the second quarter. Dorian Evans hit back to back treys for the Dragons, tying the game at 20-20. Thadious Moore hit a pair of three pointers while Pitts threw in two free throws to give the Indians a 23-20 edge with 6:00 left before intermission. Marked Tree pushed its lead to as many as five points before the Dragons rallied, going on a late 7-2 run to tie the game 29-29 at the half. Junction City grabbed the lead early in the third quarter on a bucket by Shaquille Hunter, but Marked Tree rallied on back to back three pointers by Kedrick Tyler and Darious Ivy to tie the game 35-35 at the 4:52 mark. The game see-sawed back and forth the rest of the quarter before a pair of free throws late in the period gave the Dragons a 43-41 advantage heading into the final frame. The Dragons began the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run to pull ahead 51-43 and the Indians could never draw closer than five points the rest of the way. "We didn't match their physicality in the second half," said Indian Coach Barbara Wilburn-Covington. "It seemed like we were one shot and done. We didn't rebound well enough. But like I told our guys in the locker room, no one ever expected us to get this far this year. There are a lot of teams in the state that wish they were in our spot. I am proud of these young men. They have worked so hard. All the credit tonight goes to Junction City. They did the job. Our two seniors, Thadious Moore and Gunner Pitts have been with me since the seventh grade. They have stuck it out. They are both great kids who come to practice and work hard every day. They gave it their all and they have nothing to hang their heads about," said Wilburn-Covington. Marked Tree (22-9) was led by Ivy and Pitts who scored 16 points apiece. Moore tallied 10, Buchanan netted nine while Daniel Rucker added six. Evans poured in a game high 23 points for the Dragons while Hunter and Chris Williams added 11 points apiece. Marked Tree advanced to the quarterfinals with a 55-49 victory Wednesday afternoon over County Line. The Indians trailed throughout most of the game, dropping behind 10-6 after the first quarter, 26-24 at the half and 38-33 after three quarters of play. Marked Tree staged a fourth quarter rally behind the offensive firepower of Darious Ivy who scored 15 points during the period to help propel the Indians to a six point victory. Ivy poured in 21 points to lead Marked Tree while Buchanan added 14. Rucker netted nine, Pitts scored seven while Moore and Chris Montague added two points each. Trent Gattis led County Line with 13 points while Justin Gattis and Evan Franklin added 12 points apiece.

Bay squared off against Sacred Heart in the semi-finals of the Class 1A boys' state basketball tournament last Saturday in Magnolia. Bay got down early and never could recover as the Rebels went on to post a 57-54 victory. Six minutes into the first quarter found three starters for Bay on the bench with two fouls each. Bay hung tough and only trailed 13-10 after one period of play. Bay felt the absence of those starters in the second period as Sacred Heart outscored the 'Jackets 17-7 to take a 30-17 lead into the locker room at half time. Brad Craft twisted his ankle late in the second quarter and sat for the remainder of the quarter. Craft tried to give the ankle a go in third quarter but could not play and was done or the night. Bay cut the lead to three as Damien Holt and Gunner Freeman combined for a 5-0 run to make the score 38-35. Sacred Heart scored to put the lead back to five and that was as close as Bay could get the rest of the period as they trailed 42-37 at the end of three periods of play. Bay cut the lead to three at 55-52 with less than a minute to play. The teams traded a basket each before time expired setting the final score at 57-54 Sacred Heart. Dylan Loven led Bay with 16 points as Freeman netted 14 for the 'Jackets.

Trumann's Lady Wildcats softball team opened conference play this past Tuesday by hosting the Lady Blazers from Valley View in a 4A-3 match up. Valley View jumped out early 2-0 and Trumann never could catch up. Trumann (2-1, 0-1) got to within 4-2 before Valley View went on to post the 10-6 win. Macy Hicks and Hannah Walters each had two hits for the Lady Wildcats. Walters took the pitching loss for Trumann.

Trumann opened conference play on the young baseball season as they hosted Valley View this past Tuesday in a 4A-3 contest. The Wildcats scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 2-0 lead. Jay Ryan Woods and Dylan Dulaney both reached base on errors to start the inning and both ended up scoring for the Wildcats. Dillin Vincent drove in one of those runs with a fielder's choice. Trumann (3-3, 0-1) held their 2-0 lead until the sixth inning when the Blazers plated four runs to take a 4-2 lead. Valley View tacked on five more runs in the top half of the seventh to go up 9-2. Zach Vinson singled to start the bottom of the seventh for Trumann. Michael Criss plated him with a double to set the final score. Criss, Vinson and A.J. Winningham all had a hit a piece for Trumann. Criss and Vincent had an RBI each and Woods, Dulaney and Vinson each scored a run. Nathan Maxwell took the loss for Trumann pitching 6 2/3 innings allowing eight runs on eight hits while striking out five and walking two. Cameron Jones pitched a 1/3 of an inning giving up one run on one hit with one strikeout.

East Poinsett County built an 11 point fourth quarter lead before holding off a late three point barrage from Mountainburg to hang on for a 63-59 victory in the semifinals of the 2A State Tournament Saturday night at Cedar Ridge High School. The victory sets up a showdown with England for the 2A State Championship Thursday afternoon at 3:30 in Hot Springs. EPC built its double digit lead, thanks to the strong inside play of junior Alicia Ross and senior Brittany Ball, who combined for 35 points on the night. Mountainburg rallied on the strength of four consecutive three pointers, all in a 2:30 minute span, cutting the Lady Warrior lead to 52-49 with 3:05 left in the game. Ross sank a 10-footer to push the EPC lead to 54-49 at the 2:35 mark, but the Lady Dragons answered on an inside bucket by Auburn Peters with 1:50 to go, slicing the Lady Warrior advantage to 54-51. Brittany Ball and Ross connected on back to back buckets to give EPC what appeared to be a comfortable lead, 58-51 with 45 seconds left, but the Lady Dragons charged back one last time when Madison Backus and Destiny Webb pumped in consecutive three pointers, the last coming with 24 seconds left in the game to cut the Warrior lead to 60-57. Mountainburg, forced to foul, sent Teria Young to the line. The junior calmly sank both ends of the one and one, giving EPC a 62-57 lead with 22 seconds to go. Danielle Smedley scored for the Lady Dragons, cutting the Lady Warrior lead to three with 12 seconds left. Mountainburg immediately fouled Whitney Ball on EPC's next possession. Ball went to the line and missed both ends of the double bonus, but Terrika Madden skied high, grabbing a crucial rebound while being fouled on the play. Madden hit one of two free throws to ice the game away with seven seconds left. Mountainburg took a 14-12 lead after the opening period, despite Ross' eight first period points. The Lady Warriors rallied in the second quarter behind Ross and Young to take a 32-28 halftime advantage. Madden's three pointer with five seconds left before intermission gave EPC its four point cushion. The Lady Warriors stretched their lead to 42-35 after three periods. Ross led EPC (26-8) with 22 points and 15 rebounds while Brittany Ball added 13 points and 14 boards. Young also netted 13 points while Madden scored 11. Whitney Ball and Snyteria Ward chipped in two points apiece. The Lady Warriors struggled from the foul line, hitting just 11-23 shots and finished with three treys. Backus led Mountainburg (31-3) with 20 points while Peters finished with 13. Mountainburg was five of six from the foul line and drilled 10 three pointers on the night. "Our game plan was to get the ball inside to Alicia and Brittany, especially when they played man defense," said EPC Coach Bobby Lewallen. "It worked to perfection tonight. They really worked the high-low offense very well. We were able to withstand a fourth quarter spree of three pointers by Mountainburg. We tried to get on them but everything they threw up went in. Terrika Madden came up with a huge rebound for us late in the game and gave us a four point lead with a big free throw. We didn't want them throwing in a three at the end and tying the game," said Lewallen. "I had a speech all planned out if we won tonight, but when I went in the dressing room I couldn't think of what it was," continued Lewallen. "But the girls all ran to me and gave me a hug, which was better than any speech I could have given," concluded Lewallen. EPC advanced to the semifinals with a 48-37 win over Magazine in the first round on Tuesday before defeating Strong 53-31 in Friday night's quarterfinals. Teria Young scored 16 points to lead the Lady Warriors over Magazine. Madden also hit double digits with 10 points. Whitney Ball scored nine, Ross netted five, Brittany Ball tallied four while Ward contributed three points. Kenzie Graham pumped in five three pointers and finished with a game high 23 points to lead the Lady Rattlers. Magazine led 12-10 after the first quarter, 25-21 at the half and took a 35-31 edge into the fourth quarter. EPC outscored Magazine 17-2 in the final frame for the come from behind victory. Whitney Ball recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in EPC's victory over Strong. Ross and Teria Young scored 10 points apiece, Brittany Ball netted eight, Madden chipped in seven while Ward added six. Briana Newton led Strong with nine points.

Defending State Champion East Poinsett County held off a determined Clarendon team, connecting on seven of eight free throws in the last minute to hold on for a hard fought 50-45 victory in the 2A State semifinals Saturday night at Cedar Ridge High School in Newark. The victory advances the Warriors to a Thursday afternoon battle with Junction City at 5:15 p.m. in Hot Springs. The Warriors, looking for back to back state titles, got a huge game from senior forward A. J. Turner, who scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. "I felt like I owed my teammates a big game," said Turner. "I didn't play well at all in the quarterfinals and I knew I had to play a great game tonight. Coach Hill challenged me before the game to really hit the boards and assert myself. The team really worked hard on free throws and rebounding going into the tournament and it paid off for us tonight. We are thrilled about going back to the state finals," said Turner. Turner scored 10 first quarter points to give the Warriors a 12-7 lead. EPC led 17-13 with 4:30 left in the half before Steve Tyler hit back to back buckets for Clarendon to tie the game. The Lions completed an 8-0 run on another Tyler bucket and a pair of free throws by Jalen Barker, giving Clarendon a 21-17 lead at the 2:21 mark of the second quarter. The Warriors proceeded to connect on three consecutive treys, one by senior Wendell Pritchett and back to back three pointers from Jamar Sturdivant to take a 23-21 edge with 1:17 left in the half. The Lions came right back on a basket by Jamar Jackson and a 10-footer by Tyler with two seconds left, giving Clarendon a 25-23 halftime edge. Pritchett began the third quarter with a trey to put EPC on top, 26-25. The Warriors stretched their lead to 32-25 on a Darius Barnes lay-up and back to back buckets by Turner at the 5:41 juncture. Jackson brought the Lions back, scoring the game's next seven points, including a conventional three point play at the 2:49 mark to knot the game at 32 points apiece. Sturvidant closed out the quarter with a pair of driving buckets to give EPC a 38-34 lead at the break. Sturdivant nailed a three pointer for EPC with 6:51 left in the game for a 43-38 lead, but EPC would go nearly 6:00 before they would score again, giving the Lions plenty of opportunities to catch up or take the lead. Clarendon had difficulty scoring as well, but eventually tied the game on a Jackson free throw, 43-43, with 2:17 to go. EPC finally broke its scoring drought on a pair of free throws by Turner with 57 seconds left, giving the Warriors a 45-43 edge. Jackson drove for the basket, but missed the shot, and Jori Ford rebounded for the Warriors. Clarendon was forced to foul, sending Sturdivant to the line with 32 seconds remaining. The 6'0" junior calmly sank both ends of the one and one, giving EPC a 47-43 lead. Turner blocked Deshaun Eason's three point attempt on the Lion's next possession. Ford was fouled and went to the line, sinking both free throws for a 49-43 Warrior advantage. A late free throw by Sturdivant set the final score. "I knew this would be a tough game," said Warrior Coach Josh Hill. "Jamar Jackson is so good. He can single handedly keep his team in the game. Everything we tried to do was set to stop him, but he just kept scoring. Our kids played hard and showed why they are a championship team. They never gave up and they made the plays they had to in order to win the game. We really rebounded well in the last couple of minutes. A. J. came up big. He played a great game tonight. Jamar also played well offensively, coming up with some big baskets. I am very proud of our team for getting back to the state title game," said Hill. Joining Turner in double figures for EPC was Sturdivant who led the Warriors with a game high 20 points. Pritchett scored six, Barnes netted four while Ford added two points. EPC finished nine of 12 from the line. The Warriors connected on five three pointers on the night. Jackson led Clarendon with 19 points while Tyler scored 14. Avion Hampton finished with 10 points for the Lions. The Warriors advanced to the semifinals with a 77-44 thrashing of Danville in Tuesday's first round action before defeating Parkers Chapel 49-33 Friday night. Ford pumped in 21 points while Sturdivant added 19 in EPC's victory over the Little Johns. Barnes scored eight, Pritchett netted seven, Turner and Aaron Scales tallied six points apiece, Paul Pilgrim added four while Martin Powell and Chandler Smith chipped in three points apiece. The Warriors drained 10 three pointers on the night. Jacob Eggleton led Danville with 18 points while Jeffrey Spikes added 11. EPC led 26-16 after the first period, 48-25 at the half and 70-36 after three quarters of play. Pritchett scored 19 points to lead the Warriors over Parkers Chapel. Sturdivant added 16, Barnes scored six, Turner and Powell tallied three points apiece while Ford added two. Lee Hudson led the Trojans with 15 points. Parkers Chapel led 10-9 after the opening period before EPC rallied for a 24-14 halftime lead. The Warriors took a 37-22 advantage into the fourth quarter.